Review – Etihad 787 First Class Washington To Abu Dhabi

As you could probably tell by now, I am a huge Etihad Airways fan, so when deciding how I was going to get home from Washington, I immediately looked at availability out of IAD. As luck would have it, there were first seats available which I immediately booked with 115,000 AAdvantage miles. I also found first available to Brisbane and used AA miles again. This would mean I would be spending 26 hours in these seats, Awesome!

I arrived in Washington from New York with a short connection so I couldn’t visit the lounge for long. Etihad starts boarding an hour before departure, so I boarded close to when I arrived.

For this flight, I selected 2A which is a forward facing seat.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat 2A

The seat feels very spacious and very private at the same time. The seats are an upgraded and modernized version of the suites on the 777, A340 and A330.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat 2A

The seat has an ottoman which can also be used a seat for another passenger dining with you.

Etihad 787 First Class Ottoman

I absolutely love the first blankets!

Etihad 787 First Class Blanket

The seat is 26 inches wide which is great for sleeping and lounging on.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat 2A

On the right side of the seat, there is a storage area, lighting controls, and the IFE controller.

This is where you’ll find the various reading materials and headphones.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat Storage

On the left side of the seat, this is where you’ll find your chilled minibar and storage space.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat Minibar

I love that Etihad’s in-seat minibar is chilled, something their opposition doesn’t do.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat Minibar

As I settled in I was brought a welcome tray that consists of water still or sparkling, a welcome letter signed by the cabin service manager (very nice touch), a hot towel and some dates.

Etihad 787 First Class Welcome Tray

Menus were also brought to the seat.

Etihad 787 First Class Menus

This was my second time on the Etihad 787 but first time in first, so I started to look around and discover the aircraft.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat 2A Windows

The in-seat hangar is a great feature on the seat especially when you’re wearing shirts and coats that crease easily.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat 2A Hangar

The 787 cabin only has eight suites making it very private and exclusive. The two window seats are backward facing while the aisle is forward and row 2 is the opposite.

Etihad 787 First Class

The middle seats have a divider which is great for couples traveling together or if you’re solo and want added privacy.

Etihad 787 First ClassEtihad 787 First ClassEtihad 787 First ClassEtihad 787 First Class

Pyjamas and an amenity kit were brought to the seat as I sat back down. I was excited to find that the kits feature the new Omorovicza products.

Etihad 787 First Class

The new Omorovicza products are quite nice, but I had a huge soft spot for the previous Bergamotte 22 products.

Etihad 787 First Class Amenity Kit Omorovicza Products

Etihad has two lavatories in the first class cabin.

Etihad 787 First Class Lavatory

The lavatories were always kept clean when I visited.

Etihad 787 First Class Lavatory

The bathroom also housed the new Omorovicza products.

Etihad 787 First Class Omorovicza Products

I went back to my seat, and we started taxiing shortly after.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat 2A

You can tell Etihad are very happy with their recent awards, they definitely do deserve it.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat 2A

We quickly took off and reached our cruise altitude of 39,000 feet, pretty impressive! The crew brought a tray which had a coke, olives and warmed nuts. I decided to watch the election live which was more interesting in the air.

Etihad 787 First Class

Sadly I didn’t get photo’s of the menu but here are the meals I had.

Amuse Bouche

For the starter, I had the duck.

Duck Starter

Sorbet to cleanse the pallet for the main.

Sorbet

For the main, I had an Authentic Gulf Lamb Biryani.

Gulf Lamb Biryani

And for dessert, I had Strawberry, Coffee, and Chocolate Ice cream.

Ice Cream

After the brilliant meals, I decided to get some sleep as I would need it!

Etihad 787 First Class Seat 2A

I had around 6 hours of comfortable and deep sleep which proved to be vital for the long journey.

Etihad 787 First Class Seat 2A

They call them suites for a reason, closed doors 😉

Etihad 787 First Class Seat Doors

The cabin was dark, but this was a long exposure of the cabin.

Etihad 787 First Class

After waking up from my sleep, I was feeling pretty hungry, so I decided just to have some light pastries and water. You can really feel the difference flying on the 787, waking up to no dry mouth and throat is fantastic.

Etihad 787 First Class Pastries

Shortly after having the pastries we started our descent into Abu Dhabi. I love waking up to mood lighting, and this felt great.

Etihad 787 First Class

Bottom Line

I still think Etihad are an incredible airline and they improve every time I fly them, the service and quality are always top notch and I always have amazing flights while onboard their aircraft.

Zac is a teen who has been obsessed with travel since the age of 2. Now flying 200,000+ miles per year and blogging about luxury travel. Points From The Pacific is a blog that posts about the latest airline news, insights, reviews and guides to help travellers use their points to travel in first and business class.